Middle East and North Africa

Chadbourne's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) practice draws upon the combined experience of lawyers in the corporate, securities, project finance, litigation/arbitration, and compliance areas. Chadbourne counsels MENA businesses as to acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, investments, capital raising activities, fund formation, project financings, corporate governance and dispute resolution in the region and the rest of the world. Our attorneys offer clients a wealth of experience in such sectors as energy, financial services, oil and gas exploration and oil field services, construction and real estate development, healthcare, education, technology, logistics, consumer goods and government.

Our group spans multiple offices and works cohesively as a team. Our lawyers are based in Dubai, Istanbul and London. We also frequently draw on the expertise of Chadbourne attorneys in our other offices on outbound matters. In addition to Chadbourne's offices in the region, we serve our clients through strong relationships with local law firms in Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Lebanon.

Our Dubai, Istanbul, New York and London offices have extensive language capabilities, including English, Turkish, Arabic, French, Dutch, Spanish, Urdu, Swahili, Punjabi, Afrikaans and Persian. Our lawyers are qualified in a number of jurisdictions, including those in the U.S., England and Wales, Australia, South Africa, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan and Pakistan.

Honors

Chambers Global (2012) ranked Chadbourne & Parke as leading law firm in the practice of Projects & Energy in Turkey.

Chambers Global (2012 and 2011) ranked Chadbourne & Parke as a leading law firm in the practice of Projects & Energy in the Middle East. Chadbourne partner Agnieszka Klich was also ranked as a leading individual in this category.

Chambers Global (2012) ranked Chadbourne partner Ayşe Yüksel as a "Foreign Expert" in Turkey in the categories of Banking & Finance and Corporate/M&A. Chadbourne partner Ayşe Yüksel was also ranked as an "Expert Based Abroad" in the categories of Corporate/M&A: United States of America, and Banking & Finance: United States of America.

Chambers Global (2011) ranked Chadbourne & Parke as a leading law firm in the practice of Corporate & Finance: Overseas Counsel in Turkey. Ayşe Yüksel was also ranked as a leading individual in this category.

Chambers Global (2011) ranked Chadbourne & Parke as a leading law firm in the practice of Projects & Energy in Africa. Chadbourne partner Lynne Gedanken was also ranked as leading individuals in this category.

Chambers Global (2011) ranked Ayşe Yüksel as the only Turkey "Regional Expert" in the category of Corporate/M&A: United States of America and as one of only three attorneys in the premier band for Corporate & Finance: Lawyers Based Abroad: Turkey.

Chambers Global (2011, 2010 and 2009) ranked Chadbourne & Parke as a leading law firm in the practice of Dispute Resolution in the United Arab Emirates. Chadbourne partner Daniel Greenwald was also ranked as a leading individual in this category.

Corporate

Our MENA corporate practice is comprised primarily of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and financings. Our lawyers have been involved in some of the most complex M&A transactions in the region, including the largest private equity acquisition in Turkey to date. We represent clients in inbound and outbound share and asset acquisitions and divestitures, majority and minority investments, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships. Our buy-side clients include both strategic and private equity players. The investment targets include both privately-held and publicly-traded companies, operating in a diverse range of industries including energy, oil & gas, education, healthcare, telecommunications, retail, heavy industry, and services.

Project Finance

The project finance practice offers clients a team of lawyers experienced in projects (commercial), financing, refinancing, Islamic financing, capital markets, domestic and international tax, regulatory, commercial, corporate, real estate and environmental issues as well as bankruptcy law. The Chadbourne team has a history of involvement in the power and project finance sectors in the Middle East and North Africa, including advising clients regarding the first independent power projects in Tunisia, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Our lawyers advise on project structuring, and negotiate and draft licenses, concession agreements, joint venture agreements, offtake agreements, construction contracts, and other project financing documents.

Litigation & Arbitration

Our litigation practice has earned an international reputation for excellence in all areas of high-stakes, high-profile, business litigation. It is a trial-oriented practice, staffed by accomplished litigators who know how to win. We have represented clients in a host of billion-dollar claims, we have successfully tried dozens of cases to verdict, and we have litigated virtually every type of claim. Chadbourne lawyers worldwide have a wealth of experience in all forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution, including ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Rules and arbitrations administered by such leading institutions as the International Chamber of Commerce and the AAA Centre for Dispute Resolution.

Representative Experience

Coal-Fired Power Plant Financing
Office Nationale de l'Electricité
Advice on tendering for a 1,320 megawatt coal-fired power plant and coal port and handling facility in Morocco.

Refinery Construction and Operation
Hood Oil Ltd.
Proposed financing, construction and operation of a 60,000 barrel-per-day refinery on the Ras Issa peninsula on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.

Development of Power Plant
AES Oasis, Ltd. and Mitsui
Development and financing of the $300 million al-Manakher independent power project, a 370 megawatt gas-fired combined-cycle generation plant near Amman, Jordan.

Tender for Mobile License
Saudi Telecommunications Company
Bid for the acquisition of the third Egyptian mobile telecommunications license, including advice relating to the acquisition structure and joint venture arrangements.

Acquisition of Interest in Power Plant Operator
CDC Globeleq
Acquisition of interest in Songas Limited, a Tanzanian project company that built, owns and operates a gas processing plant on Songo Songo and a pipeline to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and expansion of the Songas project.